A senior coroner has again raised concerns about rising deaths in east London from novel synthetic opioids, after a 41-year-old woman was found dead by her housemates.

Police and paramedics were called to Cheshunt Road, Forest Gate, after friends found Laura Handford dead in her room on July 10.

“They had gone into Laura’s bedroom because they had not heard from her for a few hours, and she was found to be unresponsive,” said Graeme Irvine, senior coroner for east London.

“Unfortunately, very swiftly the paramedics realised that Miss Handford was beyond help and rigor mortis had set in.”

Rigor mortis is when a person’s body goes stiff after they die.

Attending police officers “noted that there was drugs paraphernalia at the scene,” Mr Irvine added.

“Miss Handford’s housemates indicated that they were aware that Miss Handford was a Class A drug user.”

A post-mortem examination on July 18 failed to identify her cause of death, so toxicology tests were ordered.

Those turned up four drugs in her system: morphine, cocaine, a novel synthetic opioid known as a protonitazine, and a nerve pain drug called gabapentin, which some recreational drug users take to enhance the euphoria caused by opioids.

Mr Irvine raised concerns in July after opening three inquests in one morning which involved protonitazine deaths.

The drug, described by medical journal The Lancet as 100 times more powerful than heroin, was upgraded by the government earlier this year to Class A status. It is twice as powerful as fentanyl.

Opening Miss Handford’s inquest at East London Coroner’s Court in Walthamstow on Friday, September 13, Mr Irvine reiterated his concerns.

“This is a death that has been reported to the public health lead for Newham due to the involvement of the substance described in the autopsy report as protonitazine,” he said.

“Protonitazines are a worrying and increasing factor in deaths within this jurisdiction. It seems that more and more often we are seeing tragic deaths of relatively young persons that involve protonitazines.”

He adjourned Miss Handford’s inquest to March 4, 2025.

In January, inquests will be held over three other protonitazine deaths in Newham and Redbridge.